The Guardian and the Swordsman
by DevilsWatchOverUs
Summary: Arkady Duvall meets Mitzuki Atzukai. A little bit of bad cursing, rated M because I'm paranoid.  D


As a note: this story was originally a RP between me and a friend on .

Me: ./ - Arkady Duvall

Her: ./ - Mitzuki Atzukai

POV = Point of View

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai sat in a large tree, her legs crossed on the branch and her back leaning against the tree. Her katana felt heavy at her side, being pulled by gravity towards the ground. Mitzuki ignored the sword, watching as a couple passed by her. The seldom visitor seemed oblivious of her position, so she did not move at all. She smirked as she heard them arguing, laughing quietly as the woman smacked the man hard in the face. As they passed by, she closed her eyes, sniffing the air. It was a nice day, the sun shining through the leaves and warming her skin, though it was quickly approaching sunset.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall had been watching the same scene, wincing as the woman slapped the man. He couldn't count how many times he'd been bitchslapped. Okay, he deserved it, and that guy probably did too. Oh well. After the couple had left, he himself began walking again. Arkady wasn't the social type, unless he was drunk and there were a few women near by. He preferred the quiet, at least when he wanted to practice. He loved hearing the pained or annoyed sounds of others when he was in control- before his father took that privilege away from him. 'To cruel' he'd said, 'To unstable.' Pft. Right.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai heard footsteps from somewhere, opening her eyes and trying to look around the leaves. Unfortunately, in the full life of summer, the leaves were full and blocked her view. She jumped down from the tree, her Katana hitting the side of her leg. She looked across the way, spotting a man who had probably just witnessed the same scene she had. Everything was a show to humans. She sighed, not caring about who this human was. "Pathetic." She whispered, wind catching her voice. He was probably just like the rest.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall thought he'd heard something and turned, spotting the other. One eyebrow raised, he stared at her for a moment. Then, figuring she was no threat, went about doing what he'd come here to do. Around the area, there were a few misplaced sticks and logs. Propping a few up, he stepped back. Unsheathing his sword, he quickly slashed at the wood. Pieces flew about, landing in no particular order or pattern. When the logs were little more than twigs, Duvall stopped. He wasn't cutting up other men, but it was good enough for now.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai watched his behavior, leaning against the tree. She watched curiously as he stood up the logs and sticks, eyes widening slightly in mock surprise as he took out his sword. She grinned as he attacked the wood. This guy was Nuts! She looked down at her own sword, knowing that it was itching for a good spar. She unsheathed it, the sound it was making loud and carried by the wind. Surely he would hear it. Instead of her eyes being on his psychotic obsession with logs, she examined her beauty. The sword was her baby, her friend and her only companion. She noted its shine with pride, holding it up to the sun, the glare moving wildly as she turned it in her hands.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall whipped around, grinning. His sword was held up in a ready stance. "I thought I saw a katana with you." His chuckle was dark. "You look like you're dying to get some use out of that thing. Care to dance?" He motioned with his left hand for her to come closer. Despite his arrogance and his ego (which was likely bigger than the state he was raised in) he'd learned not to underestimate people. He'd done such with Jonah Hex, who beat him with only a hunting knife. Same with his own younger sister, Nyla, who almost got the better of him, despite her being left handed. Oi, what's the point of being a champion fencer if you were getting so easy to beat?

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai looked back at him, a small smirk on her lips, barely visible. She was confident. She figured he might have had some traditional training, as most humans did. SHE, however, had experience and training from the forest. Not all creatures were as gentle as humans. PSH...Gentle...Wrong word to use for most cases. She pushed herself away from the tree, she approached him slowly, her eyes glancing over his form, estimating his speed and strength. She was finally about 20 ft from him before she stopped, getting into a fighting stance. She would not waste her time with introductions if he proved weak.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall snorted. "I can almost guess what you're thinking." He took a step closer when she'd stopped. "Trust me, I'm good enough to be worth the effort." He glanced at his sword. Arkady was arrogant, not stupid. She wasn't normal, and he knew it. Her training had also likely been very different to his; he, after all, was trained back in 1820-something. Or was it 1830-something? Bah, now he was starting to sound like his father. "Ladies first," he mocked when she didn't attack.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai rolled her eyes. If he proved too weak to speak to, she wouldn't mind slitting his neck. He was too arrogant for her tastes. Mitzuki narrowed her eyes slightly, picturing her surroundings in her mind as she entered her fighting stance. Within one second she had closed the space between them, making a sort of grunting-in-effort noise as she brought her sword over her head, attempting to fool him into believing it would be a downward strike. Were he to follow in a block, he would notice the fact that her wrist would flourish and turn the sword toward his side for an inward slice.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall dove backwards instead of blocking. He never liked doing such anyways. He brought his sword back and sliced cleanly forward, directly after avoiding her. She was a crafty little thing. If not for sparing with his own sister often, who used tricks and intelligence rather than brute force, he might have just fallen for that.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai gasped slightly in surprise when he moved, her sword slicing air, bringing it up to block his attack. She narrowed her eyes. It just got interesting. She grinned, baring her unusual teeth. They were sharp, but not animalistic shaped. She moved as if in a dance, doing a 180 on her toes and propelling herself toward him, thrusting her sword forward in an attempt to slice his stomach. If that did not work, she would bring up her leg for a powerful kick to his side which would surely throw him off to the side a bit. Her length strength was quite high from all the running she had done in her past. _Hell works out for the best sometimes. _She couldn't help but think he didn't have that experience.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall managed to just barely dodge her katana by moving far sideways, but was slightly unprepared for the kick. "That's not even sword-fighting!" he growled. "How pathetic! You have to _cheat_." His sword was brought back up in rapid slashes, haven taking only a second to redirect his posture to a stable position. "I get the feeling you underestimate me." Arkady refused to stop his rapid attacks. They weren't meant to actually hit her, but instead to render her immobile. If she paused for only just a moment, he'd press his sword to whatever part of her body vulnerable. "I'm not fighting to the death, not today. There's no point in killing _everything_, is there? Life would be so dull!"

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai stopped her attacks, leaving herself vulnerable for him to pin her. She didn't care, turning her head slightly at his words and anger. She contemplated whether or not she should bother, before finally speaking; her voice cold and deep, while still soft. "Fool. Anyone you fight here will use anything to win. Kicking is legal in these fights. No rules were set. How pathetic would you be if I were not honorable and had aimed to kill you, because you stuck to an old code of _sword fighting is purely sword_. Survival is key. This is not play. Sparring is preparation, not fun." She waited for his move, her muscles tense, waiting for a possible life-threatening attack. She had a feeling he got too angry too fast, and could become... well... stupid.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall just chuckled. "You have no sense of humor, do you?" His slashing stopped as he aimed to rest his sword on her neck- not harm her, just keep her from attacking again. If she did, he'd have no problem just slashing her open right then and there. "You're cold and lifeless, huh? Well, I suppose when you're as old as me, you start realizing how much fun being alive and not a complete downer is." Arkady snorted. "So, what's your name, o I-take-life-to-seriously one?"

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai rolled her eyes. "Lifeless? I have more life than you in my pinky." She held up her left hand, her pinky sticking up from her fist, an eyebrow cocked. "As for being _old, _you have no clue of my age, and experience speaks louder than age." She brought her hand up, pushing her sword away from her neck, a nick in her hand appearing. She sheathed her katana, her hand staying by her belt look with her sheathed pocket knife if need be. "You don't know why I act the way I do." She began to turn away from him, her hand still steady near her pocket knife. She didn't trust him one bit.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall shrugged, not sheathing his sword. He ignored her pushing it away. "You don't like me much then, do you?" He smiled. "The name's Arkady Duvall al Ghul. Pleasure to meet you, I think." The swordsman leaned against a nearby tree. "At _least_ grace me with your name, would you? Or are you to cold to even do that?" Arkady was already having fun with her. He never did understand how someone could be so cynical, so cold. Of course, Nyla hadn't been the nicest or warmest person he'd ever met, but even she had a personality. 'Cold and bleak' did not count as one in his book.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai stopped in her tracks. _Cold?_ She turned back toward him. _Arkady._ She sighed, leaning against an adjacent tree. For a few moments, she simply observed him. Standing again, she walked over to him and held out her hand. "Pleasantries are not my thing." She said, her voice empty. In a softer tone, she followed a grunt with "Mitzuki. Mitzuki Atzukai. You...have unusual style. You're not modernly trained, even for these...pathetic humans...are you?"

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall took her hand in a firm handshake. "I noticed," he chuckled. "Well thank you... sort of. I was trained back in 1820/30 or something. I've forgotten exactly what decade it was." He took his hand back slowly, as if making sure she wouldn't just walk away out of boredom, or for any other stupid reason.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai raised a brow. "That far back. So you're not human at all." She let her hand fall back to her side, still at the ready for the pocket knife, yet not quite as tense. She eyed the sword still in his hand, wondering why he still had it out. her aura wasn't THAT threatening. She nearly smirked at her own pride, before remembering the words someone close told her. _Pride will kill you. Keep away from it._ she mentally nodded to the mystery voice, taking a step awake from him.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall smirked. "Oh no, I'm human alright. I just know how to live." He rolled his shoulders, removing tension. "You've got another weapon on you, don't you? Don't worry, our fight's over." Arkady motioned to his sword. "I'm just worried you'll pull out whatever other thing you got on me when I put this away." His dark grey eyes motioned over her a few times; the first time he'd bothered to actually look at something other than her sword. Huh. If she wasn't- whoa Arkady, don't go there. He mentally slapped himself for his thoughts.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai considered his words. "Fine." She said, stepping back and pulling up her shirt just enough to reveal her pocket. She pushed her pocket knife all the way into her pocket before smirking. "And I have more than just this. I come prepared for anything. However, since I just met you, I believe it is a wise decision to leave it at that." She watched as he seemingly observed her. She rolled her eyes. too many men did that. Sometimes she would like to cut out their eyes, destroy their lips for their whistles, _cut out their voice boxes-_ Calm, Mitzuki. "What?" She snapped lightly, not liking his observation of her body.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall grinned awkwardly. He seemed to understand her first few sentences, and was now trying to save his ass from her noticing him looking at her. "Hey, sorry!" He sheathed his sword. "I'm still a man you know." Arkady, despite his arrogance, was willing to show her a little respect. It wasn't that he thought she could kill him- his father would likely just resurrect him in one of his famous Lazarus pits- but he knew if she began messing with him, all of Demonfang would be on her tail. And no one wants a 600+-year-old mans' (note, his father) ninjas sicced on them, now do they?

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai gave him a skeptic look before turning her gaze away. "Well, it was interesting learning your style, but I have a tree to sit in..." She trailed off. She really had _nothing_ to do for the rest of her day. She wondered if she should follow this strange man around, just to bug him. A grin came to her face as she thought of it, quickly disappearing. She looked up at the tree she had been leaning against minutes ago. She assured the sheathe was tied tightly to her belt before turning toward the tree. She feigned observance, subconsciously hoping he had a reason, a good reason, for her not to go back up in the tree. Being a guardian could be so boring...

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall smiled. "You seem like you really don't have anything to do, huh?" He shrugged. "I probably couldn't come up with a reason for you not to go back up the tree. But I have some hunting to do." Arkady began walking away. "I heard someone brought back the damn outlaw that jailed me back in 1830... something. Screw it, I hate dates." He growled. Glancing up the tree, the swordsman added, "Oh, and if you see any neat leaves up there, be sure to let me know."

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai was curious about this outlaw, but growled at his ending _joke._ She turned to him with a scowl on her face. "Why don't you tell me yourself." Her eyes were no longer silver, but gray. However, that only lasted a moment. She calmed down, her eyes fading back to silver. "I am a _guardian_ of this area, you fool. Explain this man to me and I may be able to give you a lead." There she was, back to her hard and cold front. She was annoyed that he would joke with her about...leaves. Why was she annoyed? She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. _Could've been a little funny..._

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall shrugged. "He'd be hard to miss," he ignored her 'raeging' moment [spelled that wrong on purpose bro]. "Half his face is scared- the left side. Part of the skin is peeled back. All tore up he is." The swordsman looked up at the trees. "Hm. It's Summer, right? I already forgot what month it was." Arkady was normally trapped in whatever 'lair' his father had him in. It was the first time he'd been out since... Christ, when was the last time he came outside?

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai lifted a brow. "Well, I have not seen a man like that. But I have seen a man with his face completely covered. He was around here last night, in fact. He had a strange energy about him..." she turned her head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Almost like yours." She smirked. "Pathetic, weak, hiding behind their egos and 'manly authority'" She brought up her hands for air quotes before wrapping her arms around her torso. She looked up at the sky. "Its that aura that has kept me here all night. Normally I stay in an are for an hour or two and leave. I was banking on him returning, but you showed up instead."

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall snorted. "At least I _have_ an aura 'about' me." He mimicked her quoting movements. "And I guess it's a pretty special aura to have, if it keeps you coming around." The swordsman taunted. "Anyways, I don't think he hides his face. Probably kinda likes scarin' people."

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai growled. "Fool! I don't come around for your aura. He is a threat to this land! Everyone has an aura, and yours doesn't compare." She said, smirking. "Besides, your aura isn't nearly intimidating or...interesting, enough." She said, a cocky tone to her voice. "If you want to investigate with me, you're welcome to follow, but seeing as you are not this stranger, I have no reason to stay here any longer. I'm going to follow whatever energy he may have left behind, which doesn't seem to be much."

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall ever so maturely stuck out his tongue. "All you do is bitch and moan, it seems." Laughing, he rolled his shoulders. "I mean, it's like your job to be sour and cold. Get a personality, would you?" It wasn't that her comments weren't annoying, but after living so damn long, Arkady had learned a few ways to jab at others as well. "Who cares what my _'aura'_ is? All that magic is just another crock of bullshit people say to get you thinking. And, let me guess, 'Foolish human/mortal/dumbfuck! How dare you blah blah blah insult blah blah blah aura blah blah guardian."

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai growled again, her hand landing on the hilt of her sword. "You can stumble around with the grace of a falling boulder all you like. I'm going to use that 'magic' and find the man I must remove from this land." Her eyes now glowed a soft red as she stood rigid. "Something else is coming." She tossed a glare at the man before jumping up into the tree, hidden behind the leaves. "Fool." She muttered, aimed at Arkady. She sighed. This aura felt stronger than most others. "Perfect." She muttered sarcastically.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall ignored most of what she was saying and glanced about. He couldn't see anything, but if she was diving into a tree, something must've been there. The swordsman let out a low curse and unsheathed his sword, trying to keep his eyes and ears open enough to see or hear if there was a threat.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai Closed her eyes, her senses spanning out. She heard him unsheathe his sword. "Idiot." She hissed. "Hide yourself and come out when ideal. Logic wins wars." She hoped he was hearing her, her concentration still focused on the approaching enemy. She waited to see if Arkady would move she sent out her description. "Strong male. He has a sword." Her eyes snapped shut as she saw a vision of him. "White, tall, built, scars on his...face" Oh great. now she'd have to clean up the mess if this was the man Arkady was hunting for. She shook her head. No. Why should she care. Arkady was an ass. She sat on the branch, her senses alert. Shed watch for now.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall shook his head. "That ain't Jonah," he growled. "He don't fight with no swords." In a half-hearted attempt to follow her directions, he climbed up the nearest low-branched tree. He might be arrogant, and he might not like her to much, but he certainly wasn't as stupid as most people believed him to be. Goddamn, who the hell could be near here that scared that cold bitch? Whatever- it was two against one, should he wanna fight. Arkady just had to make sure neither of them were immobile even for a moment- or else he could get the better of them both. Not that he really thought it could happen. "Besides," he mumbled, "Jonah was one of the good guys."

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai growled. "Than why the hell am I around you? The good guys, you're a bad gu-" She paused. "I know that aura now." She whispered. Suddenly, he scowled. "Idiot!" She jumped down from the tree. "Son of a bitch! Arayu! He's leaving!" She growled, clenching her fists. "I don't have time for his nonsense." She turned her attention to Arkady. "Come with me." She growled, impatient yet not intimidated. "Let's find this idiot before the other idiot interferers"

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall grinned. "Why would you _ever_ think I was the 'good guy'?- Uh, okay?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, then jumped from the tree and followed. "Who is Ara... however you say it? And when were there two 'idiots'?" If anything annoyed him, it was not knowing something. "What the hell is going on?" Keeping his sword unsheathed, he weighed about the odds of just leaving in his mind. Okay, sure, if he left, he wouldn't have to deal with this cold bitch anymore. He could be back at home bugging his little sister or something. Maybe he should just leave... nah, this was much more amusing.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai rolled her eyes. "Arayu. Idiot who will be here soon who I'm not dealing with. I'm going to continue with my mission." he mumbled. "If you want to leave, than leave. Or stay and fight Arayu." She smirked. "You should keep your mind quiet, you never know who might be reading it." She began walking away, her pocket knife in her hand, not bothering to see if idiot number 1 was following her.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall paused. Now, he didn't believe in that aura-crap, but mind reading? He _knew_ that was possible. A few of the lesser-known baddies in Metropolis might have been able to do that. Although, they might have had Apokoliptian origins. Others, such as some enemies down in the Teen Titan's main city were very well known for it. "I don't like this," he growled, taking on the most serious tone he'd had since they met. Arkady took a step back. "I can get help. My father controls all of Demonfang, an organization that knows how to fight- to kill, if necessary." Backing out of a potential fight wasn't something he normally did, but he didn't like the way she spoke about this other. "Don't blame me for being a bit skeptical either. 'Human' flaw." He couldn't resist the taunt.

**Mitzuki POV:**

Mitzuki Atzukai continued walking away. "Do as you wish. Arayu is a guardian. He is pathetic, and hides behind masks. He is little threat, but a waste of time. I should have seen his aura through the mask but..." she turned and glared. "A certain _human_ was frustrating me." She stopped, sighing. "So are ya comin or not?" She was suddenly more oft and casual, as if she hadn't a care in the world. She just wanted her job done.

**Arkady POV:**

Arkady Duvall smiled innocently. "Awwww, your attention was on me instead of that Arayu? I'm touched." He followed. "I'm coming, just because I wanna see this guy with my own eyes." Chuckling to himself, he hissed, "Anyone who wears a mask must be weak on the inside."

**Wanna know how Arkady Duvall is even alive?**

-After DC's 'Crisis', a lot of characters were brought back or erased, or slightly changed. Arkady's change was that he managed to escape after about a decade of his 'hard labor' sentence. Though he never was able to find his father or the Lazarus pits. When he was found by his father, Ra's al Ghul, as a 100+-year-old man, he was taken to a Lazarus pit and brought back to a younger state. Exactly how such happened is still a mystery. Now, he lives underground with his father (whom still thinks him to be cruel and unstable- and he is). He spends most of his free time sparing with his younger sister, or just trying to bother her. There's not much else to do.

And yes, Arkady belongs to Batman: The Animated Series/DC Comics… though I don't think he appeared in such.


End file.
